Space for peace
Developing fragile regions into places of social and economic stability is a challenging undertaking in geopolitically uncertain times. In West Africa, GIZ is focusing on holistic approaches that combine the economy, social participation and state structures.
In the heart of West Africa, where Guinea, Mali and Senegal meet, a cultural and economic melting pot once existed. Today the region is considered fragile. A weak economy, cross-border smuggling and attacks by extremist and armed groups are part of people’s everyday lives.
GIZ has been working in countries in the region for some time and has been focusing on a networked approach with its partners in the border triangle since January 2025. Public and non-state actors from Guinea, Mali and Senegal work together to improve living conditions in the border regions – despite the challenging political situation in the Sahel.
The RéZo programme (Renforcement de la Résilience dans les Zones Frontalières/Strengthening resilience in border areas) is making the border regions of Guinea, Mali and Senegal more resilient to crises. GIZ works with the national border commissions, the decentralisation ministries and a host of other line ministries from the three countries to improve living conditions in more than 60 border communities. The European Union is financing 75 per cent of the commission, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development is covering the rest. The programme is part of the EU initiative Peaceful and Resilient Borderlands II and combines economic development with peacebuilding and transboundary cooperation.
Contact: Tobias Erbert
RéZo – pronounced like the French word for network (réseau) – combines three fields of activity: the programme develops infrastructure, creates jobs and strengthens social cohesion. By 2028, more than two million people are to have better access to water, electricity and education. Around 40,000 people are benefiting from employment promotion and new income opportunities. The programme revives trade routes and promotes economic relations across borders.
The programme is currently laying the foundation for these ambitious goals. In 2025, delegations from ministries in the three countries met with representatives from the European Union and Germany. ‘We are demonstrating that international cooperation can serve to build bridges even in difficult environments,’ says GIZ programme manager Tobias Erbert.
‘Border governance and security present transnational challenges that require integrated responses and cross-border cooperation. This is the only way to transform our borders into spaces that promote peace, security and stability.’
Mayors and district administrators from the border regions also discuss security matters. Together with local officials, GIZ and its partners determine which public infrastructure they need to restore – water supply points, sanitation facilities or health care centres. The programme trains young people from the region in construction technology and electrical installation and then involves them in renovation projects. They refurbish buildings, install solar panels and repair pumps. This results in properly functioning health care centres with reliable power supplies. At the same time, the work secures incomes and offers prospects for young people in the border regions.
Women as agents of hope in Nigeria
Change of scene. More than 3,000 kilometres further east, in north-eastern Nigeria, people have been living with extreme violence and the effects of the climate crisis for years. Since 2009, attacks by Islamist groups such as Boko Haram have claimed the lives of tens of thousands and forced hundreds of thousands to flee. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 1.7 million internally displaced persons are living in Borno State alone, with a further approximately 220,000 living in the neighbouring state of Adamawa.
Sustainable social protection, participation, and economic resilience for crisis-stricken north-eastern Nigeria – that is the goal of SEPIN SUSI. Through years of experience and established relationships, GIZ is recognised as a reliable partner in Nigeria. It implements the programme on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development – co-financed by the Delegation of the European Union in Nigeria. With approximately 240 million inhabitants, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country.
Contact: Ana Garcia Vinambres
GIZ supports people in north-eastern Nigeria who have lost everything – and helps them start over. Internally displaced persons, returnees, and members of host communities expand their skills in climate-smart agriculture and receive support in establishing small businesses through cooperatives.
In parallel, the programme strengthens state structures designed to be sustainable in the long term: in Borno and Adamawa, it is updating a social register and expanding it to include 1.4 million individuals. This allows those affected to receive targeted government support during crises such as natural disasters or violent conflicts.
GIZ places women at the centre of change. ‘When you empower women, that is the most effective and sustainable way to make a difference. Women bring experience when it comes to raising their children, feeding their families, and providing health care. It has a far-reaching impact,’ explains GIZ Programme Manager Ana Vinambres. Initial success in the public life of this strongly patriarchal region is becoming visible:
In Adamawa State, for the first time in Nigeria’s history, 21 women are serving as deputy chairpersons of local government areas. Women are now represented in all 27 local government areas of Borno State – a milestone for the region.
Another important aspect is collaboration with the private sector, which advances local economic development at the community level and contributes positively to overall rebuilding.
Citizens shape their future at the local level
Furthermore, 175 self-financed community projects have emerged from the programme: communities are rehabilitating markets, school pathways, and wells. They are planting trees, erecting fences to improve school safety, constructing classrooms and sanitation facilities, and supporting people with disabilities. This not only strengthens trust between communities and authorities – it also builds cohesion between internally displaced persons and the local population.
The programme demonstrates how coordinated measures across different areas can not only contribute to stabilisation, but also drive genuine long-term economic transformation. By creating sustainable solutions and strengthening economic foundations, an environment of security and reliability is established, one that also attracts private investors. This paves the way for a region that is more resilient, more prosperous, and stable.
Lake Chad region: when borders are not dividing lines
Stability grows from within: through people who take responsibility, and through approaches that bring together economic development, participation, and state structures. This is the common thread running through GIZ’s work in West Africa. And it leads further into a region where national borders exist on maps but play little role in everyday life.
In the Lake Chad region, pastoral communities have followed seasonal migration routes with their livestock across Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon for generations, in search of water and grazing land. But both are becoming scarcer. Lake Chad, a central water and food reservoir on the southern edge of the Sahara, has shrunk temporarily due to climate change and overuse.
For many herding families, this means longer journeys, less secure routes, and greater risk. Those who move their herds in search of new grazing land increasingly encroach on agricultural areas, leading to conflict. Traditional migration corridors that once enabled exchange are becoming contested spaces. In a region where the security situation is already fragile, a single failed rainfall or blocked access to water points is often enough to escalate tensions.
This is where GIZ steps in: with a programme operating at the local, national, and regional levels, aimed at breaking the vicious cycle of scarcity, displacement, and violence. At its core is a pragmatic approach: the seasonal movement of herders and their livestock is actively used to facilitate cooperation between pastoralists and farmers.
GIZ implements a programme on pastoral management in the Lake Chad region (PRADEP-LT-PETRA) on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Union. It is active in Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon and works with the Lake Chad Basin Commission as well as national ministries. Its goal is to ensure peaceful and sustainable coexistence between sedentary farmers and mobile herders.
Contact: Luca Ferrini
GIZ brings together herding communities, authorities, and national institutions to prevent conflicts before they arise. Together, they map and secure grazing routes, establish dialogue forums between farmers and herders, and strengthen health and veterinary services, for example. Because animal diseases do not stop at borders. At the same time, value chains are being developed: milk, meat, hides, and leather are to be processed locally and sold at fair prices. These income opportunities create prospects and remove the root causes of conflict.
Across all these regions of West Africa, one truth emerges: stability cannot be imposed from outside, it grows from within.
